I wrote “Brothers Pi” while watching my daughter stand up on the couch…

…to tell me a story about a fox. A talking fox. Who travels, meets birds, gathers the brothers, goes to the village and gets rejected—”It’s Not For Us”—and how he “felt really weird.” In her world, I guess I’m the fox, and it just might be that my 7-year-old picks up on more conversations than I ever imagined. Her entire story, every single word—improvised.

The poet John Pursch provides a hypnotic chant of the number Pi, which he’s actually memorized to thousands of digits. Mental calisthenics for the poet mathematician. I discovered this talent when Isaac Kirkman and I met him at Epic Cafe in Tuscon, AZ earlier this year. Pursch told us his life story, the stuff of “experimental poetry,” and proceeded to rattle off hundreds of numbers in sequence, lulling our ice teas to a comfortable stupor. That was August 4, 2013, the day I knew I’d be revisiting this soft-spoken free-stylin’ auctioneer. Awesome feat.

Jamez Chang, John Pursch, Issac Kirkman at Epic Cafe

John Pursch and Ezra Letra at Pursch’s home. Photo by Teri Pursch

I got Pursch’s vocals, months later, but it was Ezra Letra who would meet with the poet again, this time on his home turf.

The beauty of art is that with each different form of expression the work takes on new meaning, as it’s reinterpreted by the artist. So when Ezra agreed to direct a music video for “Brothers Pi,” I gave him full reign to interpret the song on his own terms. And he did a fantastic job, showing how patterns are intertwined in nature and the artificial world, emphasizing the meditative qualities of Pursch’s recitation. Kaleidoscopic shapes, psychedelic sounds. He saw melodies emanating from trees, and so I said, “Brother, pass it over here.” Brothers Sublime.

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I love the process behind the track, here. Wonderfully illustrated with some terrific cameos. Visually, this post is like a map of the synapses firing as the idea moves from inspiration through collaboration to what is a supremely uplifting yet restful, calm inducing work of art, as enchanting as child’s play, and as vivid.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment, Rae! I love what you said about the idea moving from inspiration through collaboration, since it IS its own animal, rightfully so. And there’s a beauty to deciding early on that you trust where the work will go. Letting go, a sense of detachment. Always appreciate your mind at play!